Social Media Metrics For Dummies

Deciphering Metrics Codes and Patterns

As you track your metrics over time and begin to use some of the next layer tools, such as segmentation and dayparting, to analyze your online and social interaction, it’s important to keep your eye peeled for patterns of use, interest, and engagement and the secret codes your visitors and fans/followers are sending you through their activity.

One helpful and interesting metric you can track is shifting attention patterns on your blog (see Figure 8-5). By sorting your metrics data by type of post, visitor segment, time on post, and bounce rate and doing a comparison over time, you will see a pattern of attention emerge. You can then fine-tune your content according to the data you gather about your most popular posts in your metrics history.

Figure 8-5: Google Analytics Visitor Flow view also lets you see patterns in visitor use and attention on your site.

What I mean by that is not to write the same post over and over in different ways to try to keep those visitors coming back, though keyword popularity should be factored in as well. I mean taking the posts that held people’s attention the longest and looking at what made them special: Were they a list? Did they have more images than usual? Was it an interview? Did it inspire comments? Did you install a new plug-in that day?

Take the data you gather, apply it, and then tag and track that ...